


Operation: Get a Pet

by puff22_2001



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: A little angst, Animals, Chuck is bratty, Fluff, M/M, Newt is bratty, Pets, we love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-17
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-09 01:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1139762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puff22_2001/pseuds/puff22_2001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucket List Operation hasn't had a mission in weeks. Newt wants to correct that. He has not thought this through at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mission: Get Pets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pprfaith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pprfaith/gifts).



> This story will make much more sense if you read pprfaith's "so much older (than I can take)" here on AO3. The general gist of the universe is in here, but the original is lovely and definitely worth a read!

“So I’m thinking we need another draw.” Newt said half around the spoon of cereal in his mouth. Chuck glared.

“You do know it’s the middle of the night here?”

“Yeah, down under and all that. Anyway,” Newt continued blissfully on, ignoring both Chuck and Hermann’s sour faces and Mako and Raleigh’s tired ones. London was in the middle of the afternoon, anyway, so Hermann had no reason to be pissy.

“I fail to see how pulling us all from our days—or nights as the case may be—to talk about the Bucket List is worthy of my participation.”

“Oh, if you were here where you’re supposed to be and not kowtowing to your asshole father, you wouldn’t even have to be on Skype.” Newt knew that he’d hit the right nerve when Hermann sputtered angrily. Time to reel them in. “Besides, it’s been weeks. We have the Hat, we’re all still on readjusting time, and we’ve all got ‘Saved the World’ prize money to burn.”

The Hat was the top hat chosen to respectfully house the dozens of bucket list items from the five friends. They’d agreed to all do each item as a way to respect the dead and honor the group’s continued living. Even when they’d all shoved off from the Shatterdome—Hermann and Newt to MIT; Chuck, Mako, and Raleigh to Sydney—they’d promised to keep going until they did every one. Each member of The Bucket List Operation would draw one item, they’d all do it and share the results via social media, and then the previous puller would mail the Hat and contents to the next person.

The original order stood from the first set of pulls: Newt first, then Mako, Raleigh, Chuck, and finally Hermann. The only problem was that, since their night under the stars courtesy of Hermann’s list and draw, they hadn’t had the time to do another. Newt was an antsy man by nature, and he wanted his next draw.

“Well?” Chuck grumbled. Prissy little brat, Newt thought with affection. He’d been the hardest to get on board, though his unremitting crush on Raleigh at the time had probably decided him in the end. It warmed Newt’s heart to see two cute guys get together, though he privately wondered if Mako made tapes—and if so, would she consider sharing.

“Voila!” Newt exclaimed dramatically as he pulled forth the Hat from just out of frame. Hermann rolled his eyes—so cute—and Chuck huffed. Mako and Raleigh smiled weakly, having grown very used to Newt’s ways in their short time together.

“Would you please just draw so we can all move on from this travesty?” Hermann scowled, but the glint in his eye was both a challenge and glee. Newt would have made a bigger show of drawing, but he wasn’t heartless and Mako looked about dead on her feet (or shoulders, as the video showed). Newt drew a slip of paper, read it, and groaned.

“What is it?” Raleigh asked with mischief in his voice. Newt didn’t answer, but stuck the item up to the camera.

“Get a pet. Wait, whose is that?” Hermann asked, his color rising. Mako timidly raised her hand and it was only that it was Mako that Hermann didn’t start shouting.

“I never had one growing up. We moved too much.” Mako said with a twinge of sadness in her voice. “Sensei promised me one when I graduated the Academy, but there wasn’t time.”

“Ah, Mako, you don’t have to explain.” Raleigh soothed. They appeared to be on separate computers so each person could use the whole camera, so Newt watched in sympathy as Raleigh moved out of focus within his own square and moved into Mako’s to circle her neck with his arms.

“Well, it’s in the Hat so I guess we’re all getting pets.” Newt said. Chuck, unusually quiet during the previous exchange, crowed in delight.

“I ain’t getting anything! I have Max.”

“He’s with your dad! He doesn’t count.” Newt said in annoyance. He immediately regretted it when Chuck gave him a death glare.

“Ever say Max doesn’t count again and I’m gonna fly to the States just to kick your ass, Nerd.”

“OK, ok! Max counts! But Mako and Raleigh still have to get something. Two somethings, not just one fish.” Newt amended hastily. He liked to rile people up, true, but he didn’t push real buttons on purpose—for the most part.

“Any other rules, Idiot?” Hermann was actually pissed now, which did not bode well for “Welcome Home” sex later that week. He didn’t want a pet when they moved in together and he obviously still didn’t want one weeks later. This would be tricky.

Newt had caught bits of Hermann’s childhood in the Drift, and pets were one of the many sore spots. The family dog had been his elder brother’s and didn’t like Hermann. The cat had been Hermann’s favorite who had been run over by a car. His father didn’t believe in “frivolous” pets like fish or turtles, since they couldn’t be taught to fetch or at least warm your lap.

Pets were dicey, then. But Hermann looked determined to follow through, and Newt fell in love with him just a little bit more for that. Just like the tattoo item, Hermann would do it because he’d promised.

Not that he’d do it cheerfully. “Not really. I don’t want to limit anyone since, if we take care of them, the pets should be around for a while.” Newt said carefully.

“I’ve always wanted a koi pond.” Mako said dreamily. She might have been actually dreaming, and the call ended with general goodnights and good mornings. Newt hung up and immediately pulled a few results on how to care for cats and dogs. If they were getting pets, Newt wanted to be damn sure that he knew what was in store for them.

Also, it was a healthy distraction from the worry of what was in store for him when Hermann got home.


	2. The Results: Pets Abound

Cats were not a good idea, Newt learned. Despite how very much Hermann looked the part of the bookish cat person, his painful memories of his childhood pet soured him to another feline. It took Newt a whole day of whining and puppy dog eyes to get Hermann to talk to him after he’d suggested a cat as their pet for the Bucket List.

Dogs were out, too, since Newt was allergic and Hermann didn’t like anything that could knock him over. Newt had teasingly suggested a hairless “yippy dog,” but Hermann had just quirked an eyebrow at him over his book and made some pretty unfair comparisons between Newt and said dogs, which left Newt sulky for the rest of the day.

No, what they needed was something small, quiet, and cute. Their dilemma was not helped by the fact that the other members of Bucket List Operation had already found their pets within days of the pull. Apparently the former Rangers had already discussed getting a pet when they all moved in together, so it was only a matter of what.

In the end, Mako did actually get fish, though they were beautiful goldfish instead of the koi she had mentioned. Mako brought her computer over to show Hermann and Newt the enormous tank on Skype, properly set up and everything. Each fish was named for one of their fallen friends. The Sasha fish was the largest goldfish Newt had ever seen and the three fish named for the Weis were actually identical—as much as goldfish could be. The fish that bore her honored father’s name was deep black with a golden undertone and Newt smiled fondly at Mako’s joy.

Raleigh had gone the turtle route after Chuck compared him to one in his damn sweaters. Little Kamekichi (Newt had suggested the name and laughed all the harder when only Mako got the joke) had a full tank all his own next to the fish. He was a baby yet, but Raleigh already cooed over his tiny charge; he’d be a phenomenal father someday if Chuck ever grew up enough for kids.

And Chuck, despite insisting that Max counted and he didn’t need another thing to take care of and Rah-leigh was enough pet for him (earning an amazing blush from Raleigh over his shoulder; when did the kid learn to talk like that?) had gone and gotten a newt. Which he did not name Newt, to Newt’s eternal disappointment.

“Why a newt?” Hermann had asked when he’d called them to show them.

“They’re small and quiet. Besides, it’s thematic.” Chuck said as he held Hermann (that had pissed Newt off for days, as did Hermann’s peals of laughter) and showed the bright orange creature off. “And I don’t want another furry pet. I have Max.”

So it was down to just Hermann and Newt. Even Tendo (who followed their escapades with glee) had called a week or so in to tell them all that he and Alison had bought their baby boy a puppy. Somehow, without even being told, Tendo knew that Hermann and Newt were the only ones left and smirked evilly as he presented Coffee, a chocolate lab that wriggled in his hands.

Newt regretted not making the rules himself when he’d pulled, because Chuck had suggested that everyone had to get something different. So Newt’s idea of getting a newt himself (small and quiet, as Chuck had said) and proudly naming it after himself was thwarted and stolen. And anything even remotely kaiju-ish was a definite no to the point that Newt didn’t even ask.

“Birds.” Hermann said over his shoulder. Newt startled from reading all about hamsters that evening.

“What about them?” He asked as he scooted over so that Hermann could sit in the other office chair and see Newt's tablet. Hermann smiled gently at nothing.

“Last night, during our fight, you asked if I liked any animals at all. I like birds.”

They’d had a screaming fit before bed the night before. Almost a month in and they couldn’t come to an agreement. Newt’s hilariously short fuse had been burned down since the first week of looking, and he’d said some things and then Hermann had said some things and then Hermann had kicked him out of the bedroom. He hadn’t actually seen Hermann all day since they’d both had classes and lectures and Newt took his bike to work to avoid Hermann. Newt’s anger had cooled eventually and he had waited for Hermann to come to him. They usually didn’t end up in another fight that way.

“Let’s get a bird, then!” Newt said enthusiastically. Hermann kind of reminded him of a bird, actually. An owl, maybe, with his browns and greys and coke-bottle glasses and lovely thin limbs hidden by so many layers.

“Something quiet would be nice.” Hermann mused as he unconsciously grabbed Newt’s hand and softly rubbed his fingers.

“Canaries and parakeets are supposed to be pretty good pets.” Newt said as he pulled up a search on pet birds, after squeezing Hermann’s hand once before pulling away.

“Actually, it’s too bad that owls aren’t good pets. I could see us with an owl.”

“Really, Newt: an owl?” Hermann smirked. Newt beamed in return.

“Well, you’re pretty owl-y, you know. We could name it Newt, be in theme with Chuck.” Newt’s smile turned evil and Hermann’s turned downward.

“No. Whatever we get, we are not naming it after you.”

“Why not? Everyone else has something named for them!” Newt argued as he looked over the articles he’d pulled from the search. He squeaked and stilled when Hermann came near enough to whisper in his ear.

“I only need one small, brilliant creature called 'Newt' in my life. I like the one that I have.”

A couple of hours of vigorous sex later, Newt pulled his tablet back out to continue his searching while Hermann slept on his chest, carding one hand through Hermann's hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I'm going to actually write them getting their pets. Suffice it to say they get a parakeet (Hermann's) and a canary (Newt's) and name them Athene and Hermes, respectively. Hermann is not amused. I put in a little nod to one of my favorite Newmann series here on AO3: Athene Noctua. It's wing!fic and it's lovely.


End file.
